Is anybody else tired of mac ‘n’ cheese frozen fish sticks, potato soup, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Fridays?

If you’re looking for more meatless meals to add to your arsenal, look no further. The entrees* featured below have been tested and approved by my notoriously picky children and are sure to appeal to yours as well.

Jackfruit Barbecue

This tastes just like barbecue pulled pork. The jackfruit is great on a sandwich, but you also can eat it with baked potatoes, cheese, sour cream and chives. Rest assured, Catholics are not forbidden from utilizing meat substitutes on Fridays. Pro tip No. 1: Be sure you’re using canned “young jackfruit,” usually found in the canned fruit aisle. Do not use the fresh, ripe jackfruit from the produce section, or you’ll come home with a 26-pound behemoth that smells like stinky mango and will not achieve the result you’re looking for. Pro Tip No. 2: After the initial stovetop cooking, you can further crisp the jackfruit by spreading it on a cookie sheet and baking it in the oven at 400 degrees until the tips are slightly caramelized.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

If you’re a cheese lover like I am, perhaps this meal isn’t penitential enough, but it’s an easy, one-pot meal, and my only complaint about the recipe is that I did not discover it sooner. Pair with bread of your choice, or get fancy and make your own sourdough bread bowls. Pro-tip: The linked recipe calls for chicken broth, but you must use vegetable broth to make it Lent-friendly.

Crispy Tempeh Stir-Fry

What is tempeh, you ask?

It’s a fermented soy product that comes in a cobblestone-looking block. There are a variety of ways you can use it, but for the sake of simplicity, cut it into quarter-inch slices, marinate in soy sauce for a few hours, and then sear in a skillet before tossing it into a stir-fry of your choice. Some foodies highlight its potential for gut support, but the appeal for me lies in its novelty and the fact that it’s meatless. Pro-tip: Incorporate into any stir-fry recipe, not necessarily the one I have linked to. It will taste great with peanut-based sauces, tamari or even curry, but make sure you’re using vegetable broth and not a chicken or beef broth.

Personal Pizzas

As a busy mom, I’m a fan of homemade pizza because it’s easy to throw together and hard to mess up. Not only that, but there are plenty of meatless toppings to appease even the pickiest of eaters (or they can have plain cheese pizza). Opportunities for penance abound here as well, as you can invite your children to help roll out the crust and then patiently endure the trial of cleaning the film of flour that inevitably will cover your counter and cabinets when all is said and done. Pro-Tip No. 1: If you’re using shredded mozzarella, let the pizza bake longer, and at least 400 degrees, until the cheese browns to your liking.

Pro-Tip No. 2: Why not try a jackfruit barbecue pizza with the recipe above?

Family Taco Bar

Tacos are a staple in our home because of their versatility and endless combinations; almost anything can go on a taco! Meatless options include beans, refried beans, tempeh, tofu, shrimp, fish or seitan. Making your own taco seasoning is easy and allows you to adjust to taste. For toppings, consider cheese, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, shredded carrots or cucumber, microgreens, onions, and so on.

Do these meals sound too delicious for this penitential season? While Catholics ages 14 to 59 are required to abstain from meat on Fridays in Lent, I’ve not found anything requiring the meatless meals to be bland or downright unpalatable. I highly suggest Catholic parents use their best judgment in determining which meals to prepare for their families, and remember that the meatless meals are not the end, but a reminder of the great sacrifice Jesus made for us on Good Friday.

For more information about the Lenten season, visit EWTN.com/lent.

*These links have been selected based on merit and the author’s personal preference. Neither the author nor the Register receive any commission if you click on the links.